Push-mower?
Hello everyone. Well, I want to convince my family to get a lawn mower you have to push yourself rather than our gasoline-powered one. However, my family is not very environmentally friendly.... it took them forever to let me make a recycle box for paper (which I started up last week, woo hoo!)... My parents are all about convenience!! What are some ways to make them more earth friendly without using a lot of effort? and don't even get me started on their Ford SUV... which they REFUSE to give up! =/
By the way, I know it may sound frustrating, and it definitely is for me too, but please try to keep the comments down and the ideas up!
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14 Responses to “Push-mower?”-
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If they are all about convenience, they wont go for a push mower. However if it is you who will be mowing, they might. You must keep the blades sharp for it to do a good job. Good luck in your campaign!
Most states now have bag recycling at local super markets, convince them to buy a few reusable bags that they can use for the supermarket and if they dont like that then just bring all the bags back to the super market with you the next time you go.
Push mowers are a lot of extra work.
Keep it up. Try sitting your family down and showing them all the cool things they can make with recycled material.
well so long as you are going to push it I don’t see a problem, what’s that you want them to add more work so you can brag to your friends how you got them to conserve? Nice try, let them live their lives and you lead by example, people will change when they don’t feel like their getting conned. That SUV is getting a lot better mileage and is putting out a lot less emissions than the ones your grand parents drove, we are making progress regardless of what you’ve been told.
Who told you that the current climactic conditions are the very best possible? What if you knew that a 5% increase in CO2 concentration and a 5 degree increase in average annual temprature would cause 50% increase in veggie and fruit production worldwide and it would end starvation everywhere??
keep the power mower and the SUV, but get a bagger and a CompostTumbler so you can make compost , add a chipper/shredder (Troy Built is a good brand) to compost limbs. This is big: quit listening to all the wrong people– global warming is not as big a thing as your significant others would have you believe.. And stop griping — all that hot air is burning my ears.
Reel Mower Disadvantages
Okay, so it isn’t all wine and roses! Everything has pros and cons, and reel mowers are no exception. Here’s a list of some of the disadvantages that you should keep in mind.
1. Reel mowers don’t mow tall willowy weeds well.
Because of the design, they tend to just roll over them without cutting, leaving them to pop right back up after the reel rolls over them. This includes tall weeds that are more than six inches, and things like dandelions and buckhorn.
So if you have the kind of lawn that looks like a vacant lot, where you have more weeds than actual grass, then save your money and don’t buy a manual mower. Reel mowers are designed to cut grass, not weeds.
2. If you let the grass get too tall, a reel lawn mower will be harder to push and won’t work as well.
As long as you are mowing on a weekly basis, using a reel mower will be a piece of cake. But if you go on vacation for three weeks and come back to eight inch grass, you’re going to have a lot of work cut out for you. You’ll probably have to mow the same row more than once (going in both directions over the same row) to cut all the grass.
You’ll probably also have to push a lot harder, because when the grass is really overgrown, a manual mower will bog down or bind up and skid, which can be frustrating.
In this situation, you should either just accept that it’s going to be tough and consider it a workout, or just borrow a neighbor’s gas mower or pay a neighbor kid to do it and get it back under control that way. You can also move your mower settings up to your maximum cutting height to make things a bit easier.
3. It takes a bit longer to mow with a reel mower than with a power mower.
If it typically takes you 45 minutes to mow with a power mower, then you might expect it to take 60 to 70 minutes with a manual lawnmower. But hey, you don’t get the noise and smoke and dust, so it’s a much better experience and you probably won’t notice the extra time because you’ll be enjoying yourself.
4. A reel mower is best suited for 8,000 square feet of grass or less.
If you live on a half acre lot or smaller, then a manual reel mower is a very reasonable choice. But if you have much more grass than that, then it’s going to be too time consuming for the average person. As enjoyable as it is to use a reel mower, it gets old mowing for three hours.
If you want to cut the grass every week spend your own money and buy a reel mower. You probably could find one used.
i don’t recommend the push mower but if you must try go ahead, its good that you do other things for the environment, you just dont see that much of that anymore
Why don’t you offer to mow their lawn yourself, but only if it is with a "reel" mower (no engine). If you still live there, it is an outrage that you don’t already mow the grass, but if you do, refuse to cut until they get the reel mower.
Well, you could fence in the yard and get some sheep….lol
A good start is to trade in those incadescent lights for the cool little flourescent ones…..
I just read an article about the push lawnmower idea, great for those that are looking for ways to stay a bit more fit…..but I just dont see many people taking to the idea….lol So try to stick to things that can be done without creating an exercise regiment to boot….like, motion sensitive lighting outside, this way they arent constantly on….
Set your computer to either have the monitor shut off after 20 min, or have it set to hibernate…..monitors are a huge energy consumer…..
Best of all, try using your favorite search engine, "mine is info.com" and look up stuff like "green living", or "going green" because there is soooooo many things you and your family can do to help without having to totally changing your lifestyle….
UPDATE: Im not quite understanding the thumbs down for everyone that said na to the push mower, you asked for ideas and we are giving them, but if you want this push mower, knock yourself out! Its not a bad idea, its a great green alternative, its "just not for everyone"……and if the parents are frowning on the idea, you need to focus your thoughts elsewhere, otherwise your just beating a dead horse…….
Buy a Goat. In the fall you can eat it.
Seriously if you mow the yard the choice of mower’s should be up to you.
cater your arguments towards the thing most people will listen to…money. wrap the hot water heater in a special blanket (they sell them at homedepot) saves almost $100 a year. Change all (OR 1 at least!) light bulbs to energy saving bulbs. Each one will save up to $30 a year. set the air conditioning 1 degree warmer, and the heater 1 degree lower. each degree will save almost $25 a year. set your hot water heater to 120 degrees. you really don’t need water hotter than that. saves almost $50 a year. and last but not least, take my husky for the summer. he’ll eat all your grass plus dig really nice holes in the backyard for you to do some planting of trees. ;O)
hope this helps.
Buy a push reel mower yourself and cut the lawn yourself. Then brag about the good exercise it gave you and how quiet it is. Maybe after awhile they may try. Also introduce them to http://www.freecycle.org. Its amazing what can be given away and be found. Buy a compost bin. Put all the grass clippings and kitchen scarps in there. In about 6 months show them how it all changed from trash to soil and can be used in the garden, is healthier for the plants and save money. Most important to you is that it is less trash going to the landfill. Basically it comes down to you. Don’t force them to do it. This will back fire. Let them watch you recycle and be environmentally friendly. For example, if they throw a recyclable in the trash happily take it out yourself and put it in the recycling bin. Lead by example and always point out to them in a non-bragging way how much money you’ve saved doing it. Buy the eco-gifts for their birthdays and holidays. Make sure it’s something they’ll like though. Yes it will be a lot of work for you (and may be money out of your pocket) but if they see that you really care about it, in the long run you may have one or two or more of your family members begin to help you. It ay be out of guilt of watching you work so hard or because they see the big eco difference you are making. If none of this works atleast you know you are doing your part to make a difference and that is always good.
Push mowers have come a long way. I use one and find it really easy to use – and it is so light I can easily lift it with one hand! The only thing I find more difficult about it is if there are a lot of sticks or pinecones in the yard, they can get stuck in the blades and you have to get them out before you can keep going (I usually just nudge them with my toe and they fall out). Also it does not really do so great with really long grass.
If they wont go for that, they might go for a cordless electric mower.
i had one for ages. still have on in a shed. i love them. it is free workout. and good for the lawn. go for it!
A push mower isn’t for everyone. If you have a huge yard or a very weedy lawn, a push mower will be a big hassle. You might be able to sell them on the idea of getting a rechargeable battery operated electric mower. That will save on gas emissions. Maybe if you told them you’d help them pay for it they’d be more apt to get one.
If you guys are right for a push mower, tell them you’ll help pay for it and you’ll help mow for it. I’m sure they’d love it if you mowed for them!!